Save St. Andrews Hospital and ER in Boothbay Harbor, Maine

Save St. Andrews Hospital before it closes in Boothbay Harbor on October 1st! Once we lose our LOCAL Emergency Department and hospital beds, we will never be able to get them back! The elderly people, young families and working fishermen in our 4 rural communities need the 24 hr. emergency room and hospital beds we have had locally for 107 years. But, without your help, St. Andrews Hospital will be shut down by October 1st! 65% of our population is over 65 years old. Historically a fishing and vacation community, the coastal Boothbay region has also become a coveted retirement destination. But without a local hospital with nursing care, rehab and end-of-life care, people are moving away!

St. Andrews was chartered as a rural nonprofit hosptal to serve the residents in the 4 communities on the Boothbay peninsula. 86% to 95% of the voters in these communities (the customers of this hospital) voted to keep it open. Yet, the corporate "parent" insists on closing our hospital. They claim it isn't "making money," but St. Andrews has generated a surplus of $450K per year for the past 11 years and is the first safety net for people in need. The hospital is one of two on the Maine coast that can be reached by sea, land and by air.

The people in our community are scared for their lives and angry that they have no say in their own health and wellness. Stop big corporations from making life and death decisions over our lives. Let the community control the local hospital by electing its board. We're ready and able. We've been working for 10 months to Save St. Andrews and we're going to keep up the fight until we gain control of our community's hospital! The people on our peninsula give $6 million in charity every year. We can afford to support and will improve and use our own local hospital and preventative health and wellness solutions.

I am a local resident who has been living here for 27 years after moving to Maine from Boston--first as a vacation home and now as a year-round home. This is where I want to spend the rest of my life. The quality of life is superb! But they are shutting down our warm, friendly, safe, community hospital. They want us to go to the big city when we're sick and dying. We want to stay near our homes and families! We want to keep and revitalize St. Andrews hospital here in Boothbay Harbor!